Chapter 458: The Sun and Moon Illuminate Mountains and Rivers (Seventeen)

Inside the Mountain and River Sect
Long Jueshen's intuition was correct.
Su Chen was indeed watching him.
Looking at the utterly shocked Ling Jiuxiao in the scene.
Su Chen felt quite satisfied; it made all the trouble he went through to build this secret realm worthwhile.
"A True Immortal Realm dragon is just right to replace the mixed-blood fire dragon guarding the entrance."
Su Chen's gaze turned towards the mountain gate.
At that moment, the fire dragon, which had been sleeping soundly to the side, suddenly awoke.
For some reason, it had a bad feeling.
Then, Su Chen looked down at a tree below the cliff.
Seemingly noticing something, the King Tree suddenly felt guilty.
During this time, its strength had increased even more; a single leaf could crush mountains and rivers.
This gave the King Tree a little more confidence.
However, to ensure the 'escape' plan was more secure, the King Tree decided to wait until its cultivation crossed that threshold.
"That person shouldn't have discovered my plan, right?"
Probably... maybe... perhaps.
Wang Shu was somewhat unsure of himself.
Fortunately, that gaze was fleeting, quickly shifting away.
Below the cliff, at the Mountain and River Sect
The stars were vast, countless small worlds hung suspended, and springs of primordial energy transformed into waterfalls, cascading down from the heavens, creating a scene resembling a fairyland.
........
Desolate Realm
Ling Jiuxiao diligently cultivated within the secret realm.
Time flew by, and several years passed in the blink of an eye.
Ling Jiuxiao's cultivation finally broke through to the Saint Realm.
At the same time, he also gained initial insight into one percent of the Northern Darkness Heavenly Scripture, causing his strength to surge, which filled Ling Jiuxiao with immense confidence.
As the astonishing phenomena gradually dissipated, Ling Jiuxiao's slender figure gradually materialized, causing the sun, moon, and stars to tremble, and his overwhelming blood energy manifested countless divine and demonic avatars!
Ling Jiuxiao's expression was filled with joy.
"So powerful... My current strength is absolutely fearless against the many saints of the Desolate Realm!"
Ling Jiuxiao wanted to roar to the heavens.
The elder also sighed, "You've finally reached this point, kid. Even among the geniuses I know throughout history, very few have reached this level at this age."
Achieving sainthood at twenty-five!
Long Jueshen, perched on Ling Jiuxiao's shoulder, looked at the two with disdain. Even the guard dogs in front of his cave were born saints. He had seen countless beings born with bodies comparable to emperors, and none of them even had the right to meet him.
"A country bumpkin who's never seen the world."
"He might as well keep sleeping."
Ling Jiuxiao glanced at the still-sleeping little dragon, pondering whether to stew this lazybones.
However, thinking of the sect,
"If this guy could be nurtured by the sect, becoming a guardian beast wouldn't be a bad choice."
Long Jueshen was unaware that he had narrowly escaped a life-or-death ordeal.
...
For beings of the Saint Realm, several years is but a blink of an eye.
Outside the desolate realm
Dozens of Saints were entrenched, seemingly searching for something, a truly remarkable sight.
"That damned thief! He must have entered some spatial rift. The energy within the rift will eventually be exhausted. As long as we wait here, we'll catch him sooner or later!"
One Saint gritted his teeth. Tens of thousands of years' worth of accumulated resources had been wiped out in a single day; no one could bear it.
Suddenly, the saints sensed a disturbance in the space ahead.
The saints were overjoyed.
"I didn't expect that after all these years, you would still be so persistent!"
"I know I am very charming, but you don't need to be so infatuated with me."
The space before them shattered like a mirror, and Ling Jiuxiao stepped out gracefully, standing tall in the starry sky.
Seeing this, one of the saints transformed into five beams of light, directly attacking Ling Jiuxiao.
Ling Jiuxiao raised an arm, his blood and qi surging, transforming into a gigantic hand that blotted out the sky. His vast aura swept across the galaxy, instantly annihilating the five beams of light.
The saint who had attacked was instantly reduced to a blood mist, leaving only his horrified soul: "You...you've broken through to sainthood?"
Before the words were even finished, Ling Jiuxiao casually grabbed the soul.
"This Saint is not an unreasonable person."
"Your clan's investment in me is a debt I owe you. Sparing your life is repaying that debt."
"So...did I steal from your clan's treasury?"
The towering divine magic avatar swirled behind Ling Jiuxiao, its captivating eyes fixed intently on the Saint.
Clearly, refusal would have dire consequences.
Faced with a life-or-death threat, the alien Saint had no choice but to say, "No, no...the cultivation resources in the treasury are all my clan's investment in you, sir."
Ling Jiuxiao casually tossed the Saint's soul aside.
Seeing this, the Saint immediately retreated from the battlefield without looking back.
Ling Jiuxiao then looked at the remaining Sages: "I remember your investments in me. I will let you go this time, so we are even."
The Sages: "........"
Looking at the arrogant Ling Jiuxiao, one Sage King was furious: "You've only just entered the Sage Realm, yet you dare to speak so arrogantly! Today, I will show you what true arrogance is!"
As soon as he finished speaking, another figure floated out from Ling Jiuxiao's body, standing atop his head, the surrounding space seemingly frozen.
The Sage King's expression suddenly stiffened; seeing that figure was like seeing a ghost, his throat went dry.
The manifested old man had flowing silver hair, his eyes looking down upon the world, the surrounding starry sky seemingly so small before him.
The expressions of the many Sages changed drastically upon seeing the old man.
"Emperor Yuan!"
The old man murmured, "Time flows on, ten thousand years have passed, I never expected you would still recognize me."
One of the Saint Kings dared not even breathe: "Emperor Yuan, what are you saying? Ten thousand years ago, Your Majesty's might overwhelmed all realms, an unforgettable legacy passed down through generations within our clans."
The old man casually clasped his hands behind his back, surveying the assembled Saints: "This young man has done me a great favor; my escape was entirely thanks to him."
The Saints were stunned, their hearts filled with envy and jealousy.
The place where this young man had disappeared was actually where Emperor Yuan was imprisoned—truly a stroke of incredible luck.
Even though the Saints were extremely unwilling, they could only bow their heads.
One of the powerful Saint Kings looked at the sleeping little dragon on Ling Jiuxiao's shoulder and bowed deeply: "Emperor Yuan, that is our clan's young master. Our clan is willing to pay any price to bring our young master back."
The old man glanced at the sleeping little dragon on Ling Jiuxiao's shoulder, then said calmly, "This little dragon has good potential. Keep it by my side, and I will grant it a great opportunity."
Upon hearing this, the old Saint King's eyes lit up with joy, and he thanked him repeatedly.